(As far as I know, the link vote is still on. No your links is holding onto the second spot as of right now. If you want to change that, you know what to do.)
Hey, this isn't Greg Oden's knee...
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TrueHoop and FanHouse both talk about trading Andrei Kirilenko to Washington. Shoals even elaborates on why he thinks it would be a good move for the Wizards:
I'm personally a fan of Kirilenko going to Washington, even if it would cost the Wizards Antawn Jamison. After all, that team desperately needs defense, and Kirilenko is as deadly an all-purpose defender as you'll find. -
Michael Lee argues against going out and getting a Kirilenko Wizards jersey too quickly:
While the prospect of giving this town another Russian superstar to pair with the Capitals' Alexander Ovechkin is quite intriguing, for the Wizards to even consider such a move, they would have to part ways with Antawn Jamison - and convince Gilbert Arenas to accept less than the maximum amount of money he can be paid next summer to stay under the luxury tax threshold. Highly unlikely.Dealing Kirilenko for Jamison might seem attractive for the Jazz since Jamison's contract comes off the books next summer, when Utah is going to have break open the vault to give Deron Williams an extension. But from a financial perspective, I don't see how it would really help the Wizards.
Abe Pollin refuses to pay the luxury tax, which really hamstrings Ernie Grunfeld's ability to make the team much better than it already is. And, the Wizards are flirting with the tax threshold (which is about $67.9 million) this season - when Arenas is making just under $12 million.
- Antonio Daniels is going to be inducted into the Bowling Green Hall of Fame, joining such other Bowling Green greats as Nate Thurmond and...um...
But get this, Antonio Daniels' coach at BG was none other than Jim Larranaga!
- Tough Juice is going to be giving away some (Tough) Jackets tomorrow in his hometown of Racine, Wisconsin. Speaking of his hometown, TrueHoop had this interesting tidbit about Caron yesterday:
The current Dime magazine (this article not online, sadly) has an Austin Burton profile of Caron Butler. Brace yourself for profound honesty from Butler about the dark days of his youth as a member of Racine, Wisconsin's Gangster Disciples. It has this eye-popping quote: "Basketball took me all over the world, farther than selling narcotics took me." He also admits that he never was all that into basketball until he did some long hours locked up in solitary confinement while doing time for a gun charge. Then he started hooping hard in the lock-up -- winner took Little Debbie cakes -- and when he got out he joined an AAU team, determined never to make it back to a correctional institution. Very good read, and I salute him for his honesty. - Yeah, Gilbert's was better.
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Brian Chase is a really well known guy for someone that nobody's ever heard of.